Shock Horror
by KomodoQueen
Summary: Danny, Grace and a fluffy friend called Mr. Hoppy ... what could possibly go wrong? Slightly longer 'fluff' with a little added whump ... for Cargumentluv and the rest of the DWOCD forum. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Not even the virtual paper it's written on. No copyright infringement intended.

_Authors Note: For Cargumentluv, without whose challenge prompt this would not exist ... _

_Heartfelt thanks must go once again to the amazing force that is TheDogo, my enabler ... Without her schooling and correction of grammar and syntax, this would be a headache on virtual paper. Any errors which remain are purely my own (or the result of an English heritage!). _

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"Grace!"

Danny's urgent shout had the young girl abandoning her loom bands in an instant and heading for the living room. While she had no idea what her father wanted, she suspected by his tone and use of her actual name, instead of the moniker 'Monkey', that it was nothing good. Hovering nervously in the doorway, right hand clutching at the frame, Grace stared up at the man.

"What's wrong, Danno?" Her voice was a lot calmer than she felt upon seeing the beet-red face of her father.

"How many times have I told you to make sure you shut the cage?" Danny chuffed, left hand waving in the direction of the enclosure in the corner of the room.

Grace stepped into the room to gaze at Mr. Hoppy's travel crate. The door was definitely ajar and she gulped as she realised the occupant was no longer present. The little brown pellets that trailed toward the couch another sure sign that he was no longer at home. "I … err … the …"

Silencing his daughter with a look and a wave of his hand, Danny continued, "How it happened we will deal with later. Right now, young lady, _you,_" he said, pointing at his obviously shocked little girl "need to find that damned rabbit before it eats everything and poops … everywhere" Danny raised his hands and circled them in emphasis.

Grace nodded and immediately began searching the room. She had no idea how her bunny had escaped. The reason he was inside at all was because he had chewed through the wooden door of his hutch and it was no longer secure. Her father had called him 'Houdini' and it had taken five hours, an entire bag of carrot treats and an elaborate trap set by her uncle Steve to catch him. Steve had offered to construct a new door, but Danny had refused, mumbling something about 'jerry-rigging' and someone called MacGyver. He had driven to the pet store to order a new door and ended up ordering a new hutch – complete with reinforced locks and an outside run – instead. Unfortunately it wasn't in stock and wouldn't arrive in-store until next week, hence the current (obviously less than perfect) arrangement.

As his daughter began her hunt for the errant bunny, Danny used the remaining newspaper she had kept for its bedding to scoop up the little presents it had left on the floor. He almost wished his daughter didn't love the animal quite so much. Mr. Hoppy had been slowly becoming the bane of his existence and he was beyond ready to throttle the overgrown ball of fluff … until he saw his daughters face light up at the sight of him. He would do anything for his beautiful little girl. Anything to see that warm, radiant, carefree smile. If that meant putting up with the miniature Houdini-poop-factory, then he'd just have to suck it up.

"Danno! I've found him!" Grace's half-yell snapped him back to the moment as he carefully wrapped the 'deposits' in the paper. _Thank heavens for that, _Danny thought to himself. The prospect of another five hour hunt, this time _inside _his apartment, being less than appealing.

"I need some help though …"

"Of course you do," Danny sighed, not quite loud enough for his daughter to hear. The rabbit couldn't possibly be anywhere easy to get to. That would be far too simple and he knew from experience how much the wayward fur ball liked to complicate things. "Coming Monkey" he called, following the sound of her voice and dropping his latest 'gift' in the trash on his way past.

Entering the laundry, Danny could only see Grace's feet poking out from behind the wash-basket. One foot waggled in the air as she obviously tried to reach the wayward rabbit beneath the counter. Shimmying her way backward, Grace emerged from the small space; her once neatly braided hair falling about her face. Rising to all fours she blew at a few unruly strands which clung to her mouth, before kneeling to look up at her father.

In that moment, Danny saw her mother in her. He remembered fondly the way she had never quite managed to tame her fringe as she tried to grow it out, before giving in completely and chopping it off again with the kitchen shears in a fit of frustration. He had returned home to find her sitting on the kitchen floor in tears because it was 'wonky' and she was too embarrassed to go to the hairdresser to get it fixed. Unable to assuage her embarrassment, he had collected a flexible ruler from the study and sat with her, measuring and cutting the hair until it was straight – a complete mess, but straight. She had looked up at him with those same eyes and asked him if he'd like to use a bowl next. The pair of them had howled with laughter and simply stayed there, propped up against the cupboards until their hunger got the better of them. That was before things had changed. Before _they _had changed. Before stress and frustration had gotten in the way of carefree and happy. The only place he ever saw Rachel that way anymore was in their daughter, which saddened him. For all their arguing and fighting, she deserved to be happy. Shaking his head to clear the memory, he smiled down at his precious girl.

"Where's he hiding then, monkey?" Crouching down to peer behind the basket, Danny couldn't see Mr. Hoppy. He was definitely there though. The little nuggets proved it.

"He's behind the washing machine. I can't reach him and he won't come out." Grace sighed and sagged back onto her feet in defeat; her head dropped with her gaze as she absently fiddled with the edge of her shirt in her lap.

Noting his daughter's forlorn expression, Danny crouched before her; calloused hands lifting her chin so her eyes met his gaze. "Then I think this calls for a bit of Williams' teamwork, don't you?" he smiled.

Returning her father's gaze, Grace nodded. She knew her rabbit had been more than a little … _difficult … _over the past week or so and her Dad had been really frustrated with him. He had ranted _at_ him and _about_ him – to pretty much anyone who stood still long enough to listen – arms waving in true Danno style. There was no malice though. For all his griping about her rabbit, she could tell he was actually kind of fond of him. Or maybe he was just so fond of her that the bunny was an extension of that. Either way, he wasn't really angry – at either her or Mr. Hoppy. He was just, well he was just her Danno. And she loved him. And so she smiled back.

"Why don't you go and grab his crate so we can put him straight in before he decides to make another bid for freedom and I'll see if I can grab him from the other side of the machine?"

"Ok," she said, accepting his hand up and quickly making her way to retrieve the crate.

Cursing under his breath, Danny leaned around the opposite end of the washing machine. The thing was heavy and he didn't think he'd be able to pull it out without turning it too far and squashing the rabbit against the wall. While it would have solved the problem of further escape plans, he was quite sure his daughter would object to that, so he was going to have to lean across the back of it and hope he could reach.

"I got it, Danno," Grace said, placing the travel crate on the floor beside the laundry door.

"Good. Now shut the door so he can't leave the room and I'll reach down this side and grab him." Grace did as asked and he continued, "You stay down that side in case he makes a break for it and try to get him in the crate, ok?"

"Got it!" Grace nodded, a grin planted firmly on her face.

"Here goes nothing," Danny mumbled, stepping in close and leaning forward across the back of the washing machine.

He knew something was amiss the instant his hand touched the bare metal on the reverse of the machine. The world seemed to slow down as his fingers tingled. Every nerve ending lit up immediately like the switching on of the Christmas lights. He felt the sudden surge of power as it travelled first through his hand and then onwards up his arm. Every hair on his body stood on end, like some sort of supercharged static balloon experiment gone wrong. He felt his muscles contract as the action-potential travelled along his nerve fibres, releasing chemical messages into his synapses; saw the flash of the spark before the loud cracking 'pop'. Felt his breath hitch as the whole of his left side seemed to constrict and go numb instantaneously. Heard a deep, guttural sound as the metal released him, too disoriented to realise it came from his own mouth. Heard his daughter scream his name as the world tilted and the floor rose to meet him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I still own nothing.

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Wiping his hand on the kitchen towel as the familiar tune started to play, Steve smiled at the face that flashed on the screen. Grabbing the phone and swiping to answer he then tucked the handset between his ear and shoulder as he continued chopping the tomato.

"Hey Grace-face! Did you guys want to come over?"

"Uncle Steve …" The slight tremor in the voice and the muffled sob had the Commander almost chopping his own fingers off in distraction. Discarding both the tomato and the knife and running his hand across his shirt to rid it of juicy wetness, Steve was headed toward the door before another word had been uttered.

"What's the matter sweetheart? Where are you? Where's Danny?" The questions blurted out so quickly, Steve had to check himself to give the obviously scared girl on the other end time to answer at least one.

"Mr. Hoppy got stuck and Danno tried to get him but there was a bang and … and …" Grace sniffed as her breath hitched in her throat.

"Whoa Grace, its okay …" Steve could hear noise in the background and voices. "Who's with you? Where are you?"

"I … we're going to the hospital. I … I called an ambulance."

Hearing the obvious fear across the line, Steve tried his best to calm and reassure his adopted niece. Not even stopping for shoes, he snatched up his keys and dashed for the Silverado; front door slamming in his wake.

H5-0 *** H5-0 *** H5-0 *** H5-0

Two and a half hours later, Steve stood leaning on the end of the bed in a half-lunge, knuckles white from gripping the rail so tight. Grace was ensconced in the sheets, her father's good right arm wrapped protectively around her as she nestled against his still-bare chest.

Steve had arrived at the hospital in record time. He could barely remember the drive and had been on autopilot as he flipped the phone to speaker and hit the speed-dial to inform the cousins where he was headed. Grace had hung up to join her father in the ambulance, assuring the medics her 'uncle Steve' would meet her at the hospital. He had screeched to a halt at the front of the hospital and charged in, searching for any sign of either Williams. The security guard had made to step toward him, but the look on his face and determination in his stride as he flashed his badge had the man immediately acquiescing to the unspoken demand to be left alone. The trolley carrying his partner had entered through the ambulance bay doors at almost the same time and Steve had let out a shaky breath upon seeing the man conscious and talking, though quite obviously in pain and with an oxygen cannula under his nose. Grace clung to his good hand and ran alongside the trolley and Steve closed the gap between them in a few short strides, lifting the girl into his arms.

"Danny?" Danny's half-lidded blue eyes met Steve's and he nodded in acknowledgement, kissing the hand of his daughter still glued to his own as he released it and allowed his partner to envelop her in strong arms. The silently mouthed 'thank you' and half-hearted smile the reassurance Steve needed to know his partner was at least partly okay.

Steve had finally managed to coax the full story from Grace as they waited. A story that was backed up by word from the cousins who were at Danny's apartment. Unsure what had happened and worried by Grace's description of a 'bang', Steve had sent the cousins to investigate. The general consensus seemed to be that the wayward bundle of fluff had gotten peckish whilst hiding behind the washer and had chewed a fair proportion of the power cord. He had eaten through the earth wire, but had escaped unharmed from his escapade – even going so far as to crate himself in the immediate aftermath. Danny's attempt at grabbing Mr. Hoppy had seen him push the exposed live wires onto the metal plate, shorting out his entire apartment. Unfortunately not before he had borne the brunt of the escaping electrical charge. A charge which had contracted his muscles so quickly and so violently as to posteriorly dislocate his shoulder and send him to the floor in a gasping, dazed heap.

Chin had been somewhat perplexed to discover the broken wooden hutch door wedged against the machine – a fact that was cleared up by Grace once she had calmed in Steve's arms. The quick thinking young girl had grabbed the door from the living room while she was on the phone to the emergency services and had wedged it between her father and the machine. She knew wood was a poor conductor of electricity and once she figured out what must have happened, she used it to insulate her father from further harm. The ingenuity amazed Steve. She was really a very special young lady.

"How you feeling, partner?" Steve said, noting his partner's eyes on him.

Rolling his tongue across his parched lips, Danny sighed. "Like I've been used to test a few new cattle prods _and_ hit by a bus," his semi-whispered response.

Stifling a relieved chuckle, Steve made his way to the side of the bed. "You gave us all quite the scare, Danny," he said, offering an ice cube from the paper cup on the tray.

Allowing the cool wetness to sooth his parched mouth, Danny nodded. "Kinda scared myself!" he huffed, lifting his left hand and wincing as the unintentional movement jarred his shoulder.

"I'll get the nurse…"

"No ... wait. It's okay. I just moved wrong …" Danny shifted slightly in the bed, careful not to disturb his daughter who had drifted into exhausted sleep. "So when can I get out of here then? I know you'll have already interrogated the doc." Danny stared expectantly at his partner, who folded his arms over his chest and simply smiled.

"Not until at least tomorrow."

"Wha … ? But I feel okay now."

"Sure you do. That's why you can barely move without grimacing," Steve admonished, wearing his 'I don't think so' face. "Grace is going to stay with me tonight and Chin and Kono are removing that death trap from your apartment as we speak." Danny pulled a face. "You have to stay here at least 24 hours so they can make sure there's no major damage to your muscles from the electricity … and you have to pee in a bottle so they can test it."

"Why do you look so damned happy when you tell me stuff like that, Steven? Huh? It's bad enough that I have to stay cooped up in here. You're enjoying this way too much," Danny chuffed, shifting again in the bed in an effort to get a little more comfortable. His left hand still felt like he'd slept on it wrong, the tingle in his fingers persistently irritating. His muscles ached like he'd done the most intense workout of his life and he was exhausted. His shoulder throbbed – the intense pain from earlier had gone, but it throbbed none the less and every movement tugged at the already strained ligaments. His butt was numb and he couldn't be sure if it was as a result of the shock, or the fact he'd been sitting in the same position too long.

"I must say, that's quite the fashion statement," Steve chuckled, using one hand to indicate Danny's chest beneath the blue foam sling.

Glancing down, Danny sighed. The ECG's he had to have to ensure the shock hadn't disrupted his heart had necessitated the shaving of some of his chest hair. He now sported four little bare patches across the centre of his chest and under his left nipple. So not cool. At least it wasn't the hair on his head. That would've been an unmitigated disaster. At least he'd be able to cover this up.

Placing his good hand over his sleeping daughter's exposed ear, Danny enquired, "What happened to Mr. Pain-in-the-ass, anyway? Can I cancel the hutch order?"

Steve couldn't contain his laughter. "No, Danny. He's actually fine – Kono has him. He voluntarily went in his crate after your little … err …" Steve gesticulated in much the same way his partner usually did, "episode".

"Typical. Bloody animal is trying to kill me. I want it arrested for attempted murder …"

"You can't arrest a rabbit, silly," Grace lifted her head to stare at her father incredulously.

"Yeah, Danno. You can't arrest a rabbit … the handcuffs wouldn't fit," Steve said as he and Grace dissolved in hysterical laughter.

"Oh that's right. Mock the afflicted." Danny tried once more to sit up a little straighter, grateful to see his daughter finally relaxed and comfortable.

Steve snorted at Danny's comment, but noted the way the man grimaced and fidgeted in obvious discomfort. "I'll go get the nurse," he said, resting his hand atop his partner's immobilised arm before turning to leave.

Grabbing his best friend's hand, Danny squeezed lightly, causing the man to turn back towards him. "Thanks man. For …" looking down at his daughter and then back up to his brother, no more words needed to be said. The message was clear. Steve squeezed back lightly before heading to the door.

"Hey!" Steve turned back at his friends words. "You have no shoes on."

Steve simply stared.

"Why the hell don't you have shoes on? Not even those God-awful slippers?"

"I was in kind of a hurry, Danny," Steve said, cocking his head to the side and glancing quickly at Grace.

Danny's next sentence was halted on his lips as he appreciated what his friend was saying and he closed his mouth, nodding slightly in realisation.

"Any time, Danno," Steve's answer to the unspoken response.

"Make sure she brings the good stuff, eh? If I've got to stay here 'til tomorrow, I should at least be able to enjoy it!"

"Danno!" Grace exclaimed, sitting bolt upright on the bed in horror.

Steve looked at the pair in the bed and smiled. Things were going to be just fine.


End file.
